Cold wave off Delhi: Icy Himalayan winds hit the city, IMD said. (Figurative)
New Delhi:
A cold snap swept through Delhi on Sunday when it recorded the coldest morning of the season so far at 3.4 degrees Celsius, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
On Saturday, the minimum temperature at the Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative data for the city, had been set at 3.9 degrees Celsius.
“The observatory registered a low of 3.4 degrees Celsius, five levels below normal, on Sunday morning. The maximum temperature is likely to be set around 22 degrees Celsius,” said an IMD official.
Mercury dropped to 3.3 degrees Celsius at Lodhi Road as icy snow-laden western Himalayan winds whipped through the city, IMD said.
On Friday, the low temperature had plummeted to 2.7 degrees Celsius in Jafarpur.
The city had registered a “severe” cold day on Thursday when the maximum temperature fell to 15.2 degrees Celsius, seven levels below normal and the lowest of this season so far. However, it rose to 19.8 degrees Celsius on Friday and 21.8 degrees Celsius on Saturday.
According to the IMD, a “cold day” is when the minimum temperature is below 10 degrees Celsius and the maximum is at least 4.4 degrees Celsius below normal. A “severe” cold day is when the maximum temperature is at least 6.5 levels below normal.
For the plains, the IMD declares cold wave when the minimum temperature is 10 degrees Celsius or less and is 4.5 notches lower than normal for two consecutive days.
However, for small areas like Delhi, a cold snap can be declared if the criteria are met for even one day, authorities said.
The minimum temperature is expected to hover around 5 degrees Celsius in the next five to six days, he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
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